Elizabeth, I'll answer you by PM regarding anything off-topic, but I do think the seminarians should see the Franciscan Monastery and go through the replication of the catacombs and underground altars. They need to realize how people had to live during times of persecution--they didn't have such a nice time of it being priest or faithful then.
It would also be good for them to see the Shrine with its magnificent art and drive around the Houses of the various Religious Orders in its vicinity to see how huge they were, filled with young men who were willing to leave everything for the sake of giving their entire life to God.
Catholic University is adjacent to the Shrine. Very liberal. The Metro could get them there in a flash from some point in Virginia. This worries me. They can get to a lot of places that worry me by means of the Metro.
The Newman Bookstore (if it's still there) is also very near to the Shrine. It used to be full of the writings of the saints; best bookstore I've ever been to. I built a tremendous library from purchases there. Then it went Novus Ordo. It became a dangerous place for seminarians.
Regarding the museums, I must disagree with you that they hold no harm. I spent many a Saturday as a kid going through the museums and it was all free of charge. We had field trips there from school, but the Sisters kept us away from the provocative art. I didn't notice anything harmful then, but I had the innocence of childhood. Going through the museums later as an adult, I was embarrassed by the nude paintings and sculptures for one thing and while I realize this is a form of art, it is also an occasion of temptation for many, especially young men who are trying to remain celibate. Not to mention the scantily clad women who come with their families to visit the city and see these precise places. Washington is HOT in the summer. The sidewalks are full of tourists in the most ah, "comfortable" clothing.
The Library of Congress is a wonderful place, but it is right across the street from the Supreme Court -- a magnificent building in itself but oh! what atrocities are enacted there by the passage of our laws. One is awed by the building and forgets what goes on inside.
Also in that area are the Congressional and Senate office buildings. Easy to spot well-known personalities with their aides by their sides if you know the right time to be there. Money, power, achievement -- but all in the wrong direction.
DC does this to you. The magnificence of the statues everywhere is quite breathtaking -- but statues of Freemasons, not saints. Little by little you come to accept it all. You become numb to the outrage against God and His laws that Washington exemplifies unless your faith is very, very strong and you are mature. But are we not speaking here about primarily young men who have never seen such sites or felt the allure of the world and its goods so much as DC possesses, even revels in?
How about all the demonstrations that go on there for things sane and perverted? Even if you don't attend, they still make the news. Little by little "separation of Church and State" starts to make more sense to you. People's "rights" are superior to God's rights in DC--a government 'of the people, by the people, for the people.' Too true.
Yes, Washington has many wonderful places to visit and if you have money and a wife and can see the sites and not have to go back to a life of privation, it is one thing. But these young men -- they will see what the world has to offer to those their own age and perhaps make them wonder if they made the right decision to enter the seminary. Their days and weekends will be dedicated to study of very difficult and somewhat boring (for some) subject matter. For pay? No. For power? No. For prestige? No.
In visiting the city, they will see young men who "have it all" -- a prestigious job with an unbelievably high salary for their every want and desire, fine restaurants where such men dine with women who are in great need of more fabric for their outfits leaning on their arms and laughing at their every joke, the best of cars, luxurious homes... Being around it can change a person. Washington reeks of pride, ambition, "the world." It is one of the devil's playgrounds.
During the day, the sidewalks are full of those whose lives are ruled by ambition. During the evenings, the city turns into a gathering place for the "theatre crowd" and those visiting bistros, exclusive social events. They are out in true form showing off all their fine possessions. Everything anybody could want.
Weekends and evenings also bring men and women athletes of their own age who run around the parks and sidewalks, walk their dogs--young people who live in townhouses on Capitol Hill or in apartments nearby. Decent clothing optional. Georgetown is a sewer for the soul in many ways, especially at night, although it is enchanting with its specialty shops during the day.
I worked in large law firms where there were plenty of young lawyers who came from small towns. Washington swept them off their feet. In a matter of just a short time they were living "the good life" and their marriages broke up... It is a beautiful city but it's too easy to lose your soul there --and you don't even know it's happening to you.
Elizabeth, you are way different from the men who will be studying at the seminary. You were inspired by religious art and that is good. But these men are going against everything a man of their age craves. It is a different thing. Washington is just too tempting for them. I too appreciate the value of education, but we are speaking about the formation of priests, not laymen. The emphasis should be on things spiritual. There is too much sensory input in DC that detracts from recollection and peace of soul.
I well realize we are talking about just visiting the city and not living and working there, but still, it is not a place easy to forget. While living there and working there later in life, I never saw any priests or Sisters on the streets of DC, even though their seminaries and monasteries were on the edge of the city. Their Superiors knew the dangers and kept them far away, a most wise decision in my estimation.
Topic: Bishop W - Winona MN seminary - and Survivalism (Read 8760 times)